>From Escondido you will be close by for a visit to the San
Diego Wild Animal Park in San Pasqual Valley. Along the way
you'll pass by the Orfila Vineyard where you could stop by
for a little wine-tasting. And adjacent to the Wild Animal
Park is the San Pasqual Battlefield Historic Monument, the
sole California location for hostilities between American
and Mexican troops during the Mexican-American War.

For a little more extensive wine tasting you could head
north up to Temecula just across the Riverside County line,
approximately 30 minute drive, to visit quite a few other
wineries including Callaway and Thornton Vineyards. If you
prefer a getaway to the cool mountain breezes Palomar Mt.is
a short 45 minute drive to the northeast of Escondido. While
there you can visit the Hale Telescope at the Palomar
Observatory. Along the way you can try your luck at the
Indian gaming casino on the Rincon Reservation, one of
several large Indian gaming casinos located in San Diego
county.

Even more gambling will be available between late July and
early September as the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club has its
annual meet "where the turf meets the surf in old Del Mar".
If you hit it big head on into Rancho Santa Fe for dinner at
Mille Fleurs San Diego's finest French restaurant. Or head
to the coast and dine overlooking the waves at Jake's Del
Mar. Righ across the road from the track is The Fish Market
restaurant with its exceedingly fresh seafood.

For your visits down to San Diego there's always the world
famous San Diego Zoo. Stop by and help the baby panda
Mei-ching celebrate his first birthday. And the Zoo's added
nightime hours, staying open until 10:00 pm on summer
nights. The Zoo is located in beautiful Balboa Park which
is home to a plethora of museums. If you happen to visit the
park on a Sunday be sure and stop by the International
Cottages next to Organ Pavilion. Every Sunday a different
house/country has a festival showing off its traditional
dances, costumes, etc. And there is always abooth set up
offering homemade dishes. If you do visit the cottages do
stop by the House of the Czech and Slovak Republics and the
House of Hungary they always have some pastries available.
And don't forget the free Sunday concerts at the Organ
Pavilion.

San Diego's newest museum sits in San Diego Bay. It's the
aircraft carrier Midway opened to the public just last
month. And the other big development downtown is Petco Park
the new home of the San Diego Padres. Come on down and watch
them beat the Arizona Diamondbacks. Before or after the game
you can pick from dozens of restaurants in the Gaslamp
Quarter. Consider Blupoint for seafood, Cafe Sevilla for
tapas, or Candelas for upscale Mexican.

Cruising the coast from south to north first stop at Pt.
Loma Seafoods for a great take out lunch. Sit on their
dockside tables and watch the sportfisherman come in with
their albacore, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and dorado. Then head
out to Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point Loma
for the best view of San Diego's skyline. Then north to
Mission Beach where you can ride the Big Dipper roller
coaster, a national historic landmark, at Belmont Park.
Afterwards regain the use of your legs while strolling along
the boardwalk or even better wading in the surf. If it
happens to be a full moon you can join the locals in their
search for the elusive grunion.

>From Mission Beach continue north to La Jolla. Stop off at
the Children's Pool for a visit to Southern California's
only beach haulout area for harbor seals and Caalifornia sea
lions. Weigh in with your opinion; let the seals stay or
move them out for the kids? Dinner in La Jolla can be had at
both George's at the Cove or The Marine Room for award
winning cuisine and inspiring ocean views. Interested in sea
life? A visit to the Stephen Birch Aquarium at the Scripps
Institute of Oceanography will get you up to date on recent
research.